Ganden Monastery

Notably situated high up on the Gokpori Ridge about 45km east of Lhasa, the monastery was finished on 1410 by Tsongkhapa himself. But the main hall was not completed until 1417, two years before his death. Some 500 monks live in the monastery, of whom, about 200 monks belong to the Shartse College, and the others the Jiangtse College. The two colleges used to hold chanting gatherings separately. Nowadays, they hold the gatherings together in the Assembly Hall, which is good for them as it makes them more united.

Ganden monastery is the first Gelugpa monastery in Tibet. Its tripa, abbot of the monastery, is actually the Throne Holder of Gelugpa, which is Panchen Lama and Dalai Lama's order.